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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2000, p. 2192-2198, Vol. 66, No. 5
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the Relationship between Lysogeny and Lysis of Lactococcus lactis in Cheese Using Prophage-Targeted PCR

David O'Sullivan,1,2 R. Paul Ross,1,* Gerald F. Fitzgerald,2 and Aidan Coffey1

Dairy Products Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy,1 and Department of Microbiology, University College, Cork,2 County Cork, Ireland

Received 27 August 1999/Accepted 17 January 2000

The ability of lactococcal strains to lyse (and release intracellular enzymes) during cheese manufacture can be a very desirable trait and has been associated with improvement in flavor and acceleration of cheese ripening. Using a laboratory-scale cheese manufacturing assay, the autolytic behavior of 31 strains of Lactococcus lactis was assessed. In general, marked variation was observed between strains with a 20-fold difference between the best and worst lysing strains based on the release of the intracellular enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. In a parallel experiment, the genomes of these strains were examined for the presence of prophage integrase (int) sequences by using conserved primer sequences from known lysogenic phage. Results demonstrated that the lytic behavior of lactococcal starter strains significantly correlates with the presence of prophage sequences. These results highlight not only the contribution of prophage to starter cell lysis but also the potential of PCR as a useful initial screen to assess strains for this important industrial trait.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dairy Products Research Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland. Phone: 353-25-42229. Fax: 353-25-42340. E-mail: pross{at}moorepark.teagasc.ie.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2000, p. 2192-2198, Vol. 66, No. 5
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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